Quantum cascade laser with angled active region and related methods

ABSTRACT

A QCL may include a substrate, an emitting facet, and semiconductor layers adjacent the substrate and defining an active region. The active region may have a longitudinal axis canted at an oblique angle to the emitting facet of the substrate. The QCL may include an optical grating being adjacent the active region and configured to emit one of a CW laser output or a pulsed laser output through the emitting facet of substrate.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is based upon prior filed copending Provisional Application No. 62/375,044 filed Aug. 15, 2016, the entire subject matter of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to lasers and, in particular, to quantum cascade laser and related methods.

BACKGROUND

Quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) differ from traditional semiconductor diode lasers in that they do not use a p-n junction for light emission. Multiple active regions are “cascaded” so that each injected electron can emit multiple photons and therefore enhance laser gain. Each active region includes a multi-layered semiconductor material structure. This multi-layered semiconductor material structure is designed to have an electronic band structure that gives the desired emission wavelength, and is manufactured with nanometer-level thickness control.

Most commercially available QCLs are of the “edge-emitting” variety. In these, linear ridges are created by etching vertically through the layered structure, which has been grown on a wafer substrate. These are cleaved so that the active region comprises a rectangular ridge several millimeters in length, which forms a waveguide. The laser radiation is amplified by passing back and forth along the axis of the ridge. Laser emission occurs on the end facets of these ridges.

SUMMARY

Generally speaking, a QCL may include a substrate and semiconductor layers adjacent the substrate and defining an active region. The active region may have a longitudinal axis canted at an oblique angle to the at least one emitting facet of the laser chip. The QCL may include an optical grating being adjacent the active region and configured to emit one of a continuous wave (CW) laser output or a pulsed laser output through the at least one emitting facet.

In some embodiments, the optical grating may define a plurality of ridges substantially parallel with the longitudinal axis of the active region. For example, the optical grating may comprise a Bragg grating. The active region may be configured to operate in a single lateral mode.

Additionally, the optical grating may comprise a shallow ridge configuration grating with etching stopped before reaching the active region and the QCL may include an electrical contact strip coupled to the semiconductor layers. The electrical contact strip may have a width configured to control an effective active region width.

Also, the active region may have a thickness less than or equal to 1.3 μm, and the active region may have a width greater than or equal to 20 μm. The active region may have an elongate shape extending laterally across the substrate.

Another aspect is directed to a QCL system. The QCL system may include at least one QCL comprising a substrate, at least one emitting facet, and semiconductor layers adjacent the substrate and defining an active region. The active region may have a longitudinal axis canted at an oblique angle to the at least one emitting face of the substrate. The at least one QCL may comprise an optical grating being adjacent the active region and configured to emit one of a CW laser output or a pulsed laser output through the at least one emitting facet. The QCL system may include a driver circuit coupled to the at least one QCL. In some embodiments, the at least one QCL may include an array thereof arranged in W-shape.

Another aspect is directed to a method for making a QCL. The method may include forming a substrate and at least one emitting facet, and forming a semiconductor layers adjacent the substrate and defining an active region. The active region may have a longitudinal axis canted at an oblique angle to the at least one emitting facet of the substrate. The method may comprise forming an optical grating being adjacent the active region and configured to emit one of a CW laser output or a pulsed laser output through the at least one emitting facet.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a QCL system, according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an α-distributed feedback waveguide, according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of an unfolded α-distributed feedback waveguide, according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a deep-ridge QCL configuration, according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a shallow-ridge QCL configuration, according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a contact-strip QCL configuration, according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a coherent array of α-distributed feedback QCLs, according to the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which several embodiments of the present disclosure are shown. This present disclosure may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout, and base 100 reference numerals are used to indicate similar elements in alternative embodiments.

Referring initially to FIG. 1, a QCL system 20 according to the present disclosure is now described. The QCL system 20 illustratively includes a QCL 21, and a driver circuit 22 coupled to the QCL and configured to power the QCL. The QCL 21 illustratively includes a substrate (e.g. InP, GaAs, GaSb, Si).

Referring now to FIGS. 2-7, a very high peak optical power level for QCLs, can be achieved by increasing active region dimensions [1]. Specifically, peak optical power scales with active region width, a region where electron transitions between quantized energy levels produce infrared photons. The increase in power for broad area devices with increase in active region width, however, comes at the expense of a reduced beam quality as wider waveguides support higher order lateral modes, and high order modes have a larger lateral divergence compared to that for the fundamental lateral mode. As a consequence, broad area devices are typically used only in a limited set of practical applications, such as laser-based beacons and illuminators, where a high beam quality is not required.

It was demonstrated for the traditional diode lasers that lateral beam quality for broad area devices can be controlled by employing the so-called α-DFB configuration (diagram 80 FIG. 3 ). In the α-DFB configuration, the active region, shown in yellow in FIG. 2, is defined at an angle deviating from 90° relative to the output facet [2, 3]. In addition, a Bragg grating with groves parallel to the active region stripe is etched into the upper waveguide and cladding layers. The combination of the lateral grating and the angle between the stripe and the chip facets forces the semiconductor laser operate on a single spatial mode.

The operational principles of the α-DFB configuration can be illustrated using the ray-optics approximation. Ray propagation within the waveguide shown in FIG. 2 is equivalent to that in an unfolded waveguide shown in FIG. 3. The waves propagating along the active region satisfy the Bragg condition (Formula 1). λ=2nΛsinθ/m  (1) where n is the effective refractive index, Λ is the grating period, and θ is the angle between the facet and the waveguide axis. The waves that do not satisfy the Bragg condition easily leak outside the gain region and, therefore, have a low modal gain with a high threshold current density.

For the waves propagating forward from 0 to L, the angle between the grating and the ray propagation direction is θ. On the other hand, the reflected waves propagating backward from L to 2L is incident on the grating at −θ. The resonance Bragg condition is satisfied both for the forward and backward propagating waves at the same time only for a single lateral mode. The α-DFB grating, therefore, serves as a spatial mode filter.

The α-DFB configuration has not been attempted for high average power QCLs for two main reasons:

-   1. The α-DFB configuration is an approach to scaling QCL optical     power with active region dimensions without sacrificing beam     quality. Broad area devices are of primary interest in this case.     The active region self-heating for QCLs limits active region width     for the traditional QCLs to 10-20 μm. Therefore, it appears that     this configuration cannot be directly applied to QCLs to increase     average optical power level.

A possible approach to the overheating problem was disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/450,575, filed on Mar. 6, 2017, assigned to the present applications assignee, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. In short, it is argued in that disclosure that QCLs with a significantly reduced active region thickness and increased maximum (roll over) current density can still produce a very high average optical power per active region unit area even in a broad area configuration. This requires designing QCLs with increased active region/injector coupling, increased active region doping density, and a higher relative carrier population for the lowest injector state.

It is proposed in this disclosure to use the QCLs with a low thermal resistance in the broad area α-DFB configuration. QCLs are traditionally processed into the deep-ridge configuration with the etching profile propagating though the active region (FIG. 4). The deep ridge configuration is used to confine current within the area defined by the ridge and, at the same time, provide a strong lateral waveguide, which increases lateral mode overlap factor with the active region. This configuration, however, is incompatible with the α-DFB grating as the strong lateral waveguide negates the spatial-mode filtering properties of the grating.

It is proposed in this disclosure, instead, to use the shallow ridge configuration, shown in FIG. 5, for α-DFB QCLs. While current spreading in the n-doped cladding/waveguide layers is significant, it was shown in References [4, 5] that it is still limited to 50-100 μm. The QCL with an ultra-thin active region (low thermal resistance) and 50-100 μm-wide electrically pumped active region are projected to efficiently operate even under high duty-cycle conditions. Therefore, they can be effectively used in the α-DFB configuration. Current spreading in this configuration can be controlled by carefully choosing the optimal contact stripe width, by adjusting cladding/waveguide layers doping, and by optimizing ridge depth.

The limiting case for the shallow ridge configuration is a simple contact-stripe configuration shown in FIG. 6. Combination of the simple wafer processing for this configuration and the capability of high average power operation are projected to dramatically reduce price per watt for high power QCLs.

To summarize, the proposed approach herein includes: employment of ultra-thin active region with dramatically reduced thermal resistance; employment of shallow ridge or simple contact-stripe configuration to suppress mode reflection at the lateral active region/waveguide interface; and employment of the α-DFB grating for the spatial mode selection. The very high power QCLs will find immediate applications in a number of applications requiring high power, high brightness infrared laser sources. α-DFB QCLs can be combined into a W-shaped array as shown in FIG. 7 to reach optical power levels in excess of 100W into a high brightness beam.

Referring now to FIG. 2, another embodiment of the QCL, 121 is now described. In this embodiment of the QCL 121, those elements already discussed above with respect to FIG. 1 are incremented by 100. The QCL 121 illustratively includes a substrate 124 and an emitting facet 126, and one or more semiconductor layers adjacent the substrate and defining an active region 125. The active region 125 illustratively includes a longitudinal axis 127 canted at an oblique angle (Θ) to the emitting facet 126 of the substrate 124. The QCL 121 illustratively includes an optical grating 123 being adjacent the active region 125 and configured to emit a CW or pulsed laser output through the emitting facet 126.

In the illustrated embodiment, the optical grating 123 defines a plurality of ridges substantially parallel (between 0 and 5 degrees of cant between the ridges and the longitudinal axis) with the longitudinal axis 127 of the active region 125. Also, in the illustrated example, the optical grating 123 comprises a Bragg grating, which permits the active region 125 to be configured to operate in a single spatial mode.

Also, the active region 125 may have a thickness less than or equal to 1.3 μm, and the active region may have a width greater than or equal to 20 μm. The active region 125 may have an elongate shape extending laterally across the substrate 124. Of course, these dimensional ranges are merely exemplary and could be different in other embodiments.

Another aspect is directed to a method for making a QCL 121. The method includes forming a substrate 124 and at least one emitting facet 126, and forming one or more semiconductor layers adjacent the substrate and defining an active region 125. The active region 125 has a longitudinal axis 127 canted at an oblique angle to the at least one emitting facet 126. The method comprises forming an optical grating 123 being adjacent the active region 125 and configured to emit a CW or pulsed laser output through the at least one emitting facet.

Referring now additionally to FIG. 4, another embodiment of the QCL 221 is now described. In this embodiment of the QCL 221, those elements already discussed above with respect to FIG. 2 are incremented by 200 and most require no further discussion herein. This embodiment differs from the previous embodiment in that this QCL 221 illustratively includes first and second cladding layers 229-229 b surrounding the active region 225. Also, the QCL 221 is typically processed into the deep-ridge configuration with the etching profile propagating though the active region 225. The QCL 221 illustratively includes an isolator region 291 surrounding a deep ridge 292, and a contact strip 228 over the first cladding layer 229.

Referring now additionally to FIG. 5, another embodiment of the QCL 321 is now described. In this embodiment of the QCL 321, those elements already discussed above with respect to FIG. 4 are incremented by 300 and most require no further discussion herein. This embodiment differs from the previous embodiment in that this QCL 321 illustratively uses a shallow ridge configuration where etching is stopped before reaching the active region for providing an α-DFB QCL. The QCL 321 has an ultra-thin active region (low thermal resistance) and a 50-100 μm-wide electrically pumped active region are projected to efficiently operate even under high duty-cycle conditions. Therefore, it can be effectively used in the α-DFB configuration. Current spreading in this embodiment can be controlled by carefully choosing an electrical contact strip 328 width, by adjusting cladding/waveguide layers doping, and by optimizing ridge depth. In other words, the electrical contact strip 328 may have a width configured to control the active region 325.

Referring now additionally to FIG. 6, another embodiment of the QCL 421 is now described. In this embodiment of the QCL 421, those elements already discussed above with respect to FIG. 5 are incremented by 400 and most require no further discussion herein. This embodiment differs from the previous embodiment in that this QCL 421 illustratively includes an optical grating 423.

Referring now to FIG. 7, another aspect is directed to a QCL system 520. The QCL system 520 illustratively includes a plurality of QCLs 521 a-521 f. Each of the plurality of QCLs 521 a-521 f illustratively includes a substrate 524 and at least one emitting facet, and semiconductor layers adjacent the substrate and defining an active region 525 a-525 f. The active region 525 a-525 f has a longitudinal axis canted at an oblique angle to the at least one emitting facet. Each of the plurality of QCLs 521 a-521 f illustratively includes an optical grating being adjacent the active region 525 a-525 f and configured to emit a CW or pulsed laser output through the at least one emitting facet. The QCL system 520 illustratively includes a driver circuit 522 coupled to the plurality of QCLs 521 a-521 f. In the illustrated embodiment, the plurality of QCLs 521 a-521 f defines an array thereof arranged in W-shape.

Each of the plurality of QCLs 521 a-521 f may comprise one or more features from any of the QCL embodiments disclosed herein. Also, features from any of the individual QCL embodiments could be combined with other embodiments.

References (all references listed below are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties)

REFERENCES

-   [1] Y. Bai, N. Bandyopadhayay, S. Tsao, S. Slivken, and M. Razeghi,     Applied Physics Letters 98, 181102 (2011) -   [2] R. Lang, K. Dzurko, A. Hardy, S. Demars, A. Schoenfelder, and D.     Welch, IEEE JQE 34, 2196 (1998) -   [3] K. Paschke, A. Bogatov, A. Drakin, R. Guther, A.     Stratonnikov, H. Wenzel, G. Erbert, and G. Trankle, J. Sel. Top.     Quant. Electr. 9, 825 (2003) -   [4] C. Becker and A. Lyakh, J. Appl. Phys. 90, 1688 (2001) -   [5] A. Lyakh, P. Zory, D. Wasserman, G. Shu, C. Gmachl, M.     D'Souza, D. Botez, D. Bour, Appl. Phys. Lett. 90, 141107 (2007)

Many modifications and other embodiments of the present disclosure will come to the mind of one skilled in the art having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is understood that the present disclosure is not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed, and that modifications and embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. 

That which is claimed is:
 1. A distributed feedback quantum cascade laser (DFB QCL) comprising: a substrate; at least one emitting facet; semiconductor layers adjacent said substrate and defining an active region; said active region having a longitudinal axis canted at an oblique angle to said at least one emitting facet; and an optical grating being adjacent said active region and configured to emit one of a continuous wave (CW) laser output or a pulsed laser output through said at least one emitting facet; said optical grating defining a plurality of ridges substantially parallel with the longitudinal axis of said active region so that the DFB QCL operates in an α-DFB configuration; said active region has an elongate shape extending laterally across said substrate; said active region having a thickness less than or equal to 1.3 μm; said active region having a width greater than or equal to 20 μm.
 2. The DFB QCL of claim 1 wherein said optical grating comprises a Bragg grating.
 3. The DFB QCL of claim 1 wherein said active region is configured to operate in a single lateral mode.
 4. The DFB QCL of claim 1 wherein said optical grating comprises a shallow ridge configuration grating with etching stopped before reaching said active region; and further comprising an electrical contact strip coupled to said semiconductor layers.
 5. The DFB QCL of claim 4 wherein said electrical contact strip has a width configured to control an effective active region width.
 6. A distributed feedback quantum cascade laser (DFB QCL) comprising: a substrate; at least one emitting facet; semiconductor layers adjacent said substrate and defining an active region; said active region having a longitudinal axis canted at an oblique angle to said at least one emitting facet; and an optical Bragg grating being adjacent said active region and configured to emit one of a continuous wave (CW) laser output or a pulsed laser output through said at least one emitting facet said optical Bragg grating defining a plurality of ridges substantially parallel with the longitudinal axis of said active region so that the DFB QCL operates in an α-DFB configuration, and comprising a shallow ridge configuration grating with etching stopped before reaching said active region; and an electrical contact strip coupled to said semiconductor layers; said active region has an elongate shape extending laterally across said substrate; said active region having a thickness less than or equal to 1.3 μm; said active region having a width greater than or equal to 20 μm.
 7. The DFB QCL of claim 6 wherein said active region is configured to operate in a single lateral mode. 